Before an early June practice, Swayze Waters found a new jersey hanging in his locker.

Embroidered was the number "34" with his last name on the back.

Waters — a kicker on the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts — took a picture on his phone and sent it to Steve and Melinda Hendrix, close family friends back home in Mississippi.

"I told them I'm wearing No. 34 this season to honor (your son) Tait, and that I was going to do them proud," Waters said.

Tait, one of the couple's two children, died in a motorcycle accident on June 4 at Madison's Lake Caroline. He was 27.

Waters lost his best friend.

He missed three days of training camp to attend his former Jackson Prep teammate's funeral in Madison. The first practice back, Waters slipped on his then-No. 30 jersey, and the idea came to mind.

"(Tait and I) had so many good memories of playing football together, and I thought it'd be pretty cool, pretty special if I could wear his number and honor him in that way," Waters said.

For the most part, they were on the same sports teams growing up. They played at North Jackson Youth Baseball, where both their dad's coached.

In fact, their parents were close and each was considered an "extension of the family."

"We went all over the country playing baseball," Waters' father Joel, said. "They genuinely loved each other from an early age."

He paused, holding back tears before continuing.

"Oh yeah, it was genuine."

Football came around fifth grade when they were at First Presbyterian Day School, and they continued playing sports at Jackson Prep.

In 2002, their sophomore years on football, Jackson Prep won the MAIS state title with a 10-2 record. They also played outfield on the baseball team that won three state titles during their time.

"Being teammates with somebody is something that, if you haven't played sports, you really wouldn't understand," Waters said. "You do two-a-days and working all day, and winning and losing games, and ups and downs, injuries and all that kind of stuff, you just become so close through sports."

Knowing the bond the two men shared, the Hendrix family asked Waters to speak at their son's funeral.

There's a video of Waters talking at the funeral. With a Bible and tissue in hand, Waters approached the podium that day with his eyes already watering. The tissue wasn't enough to last him through his speech. He had to collect himself numerous times.

They didn't get to see each other as often since graduating from Jackson Prep in 2005.

Waters, who set a high school record for longest field goal at 52 yards, went to UAB on a football scholarship. Hendrix had an opportunity to play football at Air Force but chose baseball at Millsaps, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor's in business administration.

Despite the distance, they still kept in touch.

Last winter, around when the CFL season ended, Waters, a staff member for the Mississippi Fellowship of Christian Athletes, held Bible studies on Tuesdays at his home in Jackson. Hendrix, who was a trainer at CrossFit, would attend.

"He was helping me plan an FCA event that would combine pushing yourself to your physical and spiritual limits," Waters shared at the funeral. "And I'm pretty sure Tait didn't have the time to be doing all this stuff. But he made time for me. That's just the kind of guy Tait was."

For Waters, 27, jersey numbers didn't mean much. He was No. 8 on the football team at Jackson Prep and No. 94 when at UAB. However, Hendrix had his own attachment to No. 34.

"He was a big Bo Jackson fan," Waters said. "He had a poster of him (the former Auburn player and 1985 Heisman Trophy winner) in his room, so I believed that's why he wore that number."

Waters wanted to switch jerseys, but there were a few issues.

The season had begun, and it was too late for players to change jersey numbers. Also, No. 34 belonged to rookie Eric Black. But the Argonauts organization didn't mind helping out. Black, a defensive back, was willing to give up the number, and the organization reached out to the league commissioner to request a change.

A few days later, Waters found the new jersey hanging in his locker.

He texted the news to the Hendrix family. Steve Hendrix replied: "Wow that's a tremendous tribute to Tait. Thank you," adding that they plan to visit for a game in October.

"Swayze wanting to do that to honor Tait, it's just a reflection of their friendship," Hendrix said. "That speaks loudly."